CELLO PROFESSORS

This motto is not only a fitting characterization of Ramón Jaffe‘s artistic life but also documents his moving biography.

Born into a musical family in Riga, Latvia in 1962, he immigrated to Israel with his family in 1971 before coming to Germany in 1974. Ramón Jaffé received his first musical tuition under his father Don Jaffe, who guided him until his concert exam in 1988 with B. Peragamenschikow. In addition to his tutelage under D. Geringas, D. Shafran and S. Vegh served as his musical mentors. As chamber music partner, he accompanied Sandor Vegh in his last great appearance as a violinist in the great Mozarteum Hall in Salzburg.

Ramón Jaffé, under this master‘s aegis, took successfully part in a series of competitions such as the German Musical Competition (1984) and the Casals Competition in Budapest (1985). His solo career, which had commenced during his studies, led him to the prestigious concert houses of Berlin, Leipzig, Amsterdam, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, London, and Cologne, St.-Petersburg, Rio de Janeiro, to name a few. While doing this, he devoted himself to chamber music as a member of the string trio ,,Belcanto Strings“ (1993 – 2009) and the ,,Mendelssohn Trio Berlin“. Further chamber music partners have included, among others, I. Vermillion, Y. Bronfman, A. Mustonen, A. Frölich, F. Leleux, V. Mendelssohn, J. Rachlin, W. Fuchs, M.P. Langlamet, B. Schmid, E. Bashkirowa, G. Causse, and N. Znaider.

In addition, Mr. Jaffé is the founder and artistic manager of the Chamber Music Festival Hopfgarten/Tirol. In 2011 he has accepted the invitation to the artistic leadership of the Chamber Music Festival in Middelburg/NL.

A sampling of the conductors, with whom he has worked includes A. Boreyko, A. Mustonen, M. Jurowski, E. Topchjan, St. Blunier, Ralf Weikert, as well as the jazz singer Bobbie McFerrin.

He appeared with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra under the conductorship of R. Abbado, M. Viotti and L. Foster, and the RSO Vienna in the Vienna Musikverein within the Wiener Festwochen. This performance was frequently broadcast internationally via radio and television. Numerous other T.V. and radio recordings as well as an impressive number of CDs document his artistic work. ,,Meditation hebraique“, Brahms Arrangements (published by Koch Schwann), and the premiere of B. Blacher‘s Cello Concerto (Signum) are examples of this. Among the newest releases one can find “The cello’s opera voice” with original pieces for Cello & Orchestra by Verdi, Rossini, Weber, Auber and R. & J. Strauss and Dvoráks Cello concerto No. 1 in A Major.

Ramón Jaffé was a welcomed guest at international festivals, such as the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, the Rheingau Festival, the Würzburg Mozart Festival, Open Chamber Music Prussia Cove (GB), D. Oistrakh-Festival (Estonia), Schubertiade Roskilde (DK), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, Stuttgarter Bachtage, Steirischer Herbst Graz, the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival (Finland), the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, Salzburg Culture Weeks, the Expo 1992 and the Biennial in Seville, the Middelburg Festival (NL), the MIDEM in Cannes, Amadeo (NL), Summertime (LV) and the Ludwigsburg Festival.

One of his most artistically exciting and impressive encounters was that with the late Flamenco guitarist Pedro Bacan. Bacan introduced Ramón Jaffé to the secrets of the fascinating world of Flamenco.

Their performances have culminated at all the significant Flamenco Festivals in Spain and France. In 2006 Ramón Jaffé has founded the RamonJaffé-Trio (cello, flamenco-guitar & flamenco-dance), which is specialized on the connection of spanish classical music with the flamenco. He is also constantly performing with the Sri Lankan Sitar-virtuoso Pradeep Ratnayake.

Ramón Jaffé is teaching at the University of Music “C. M. v. Weber” in Dresden. In addition he is leading worldwide masterclasses and is jury-member of several competiotions.

Winner of the German Music Competition and of the Casals competition (Budapest), since that time innumerable concerts in all continents. Invited as jury member in international competitions, he is Professor of Cello at the University of Music "C. M. v. Weber" in Dresden. His students are winners of international competitions.